History of earthquakes. The most powerful earthquakes in human history

On April 25, 2015, one of the most powerful earthquakes in history occurred in Nepal, claiming thousands of lives and destroying a large number of historical monuments.

This is the seventh major earthquake in the 21st century. Let's try to remember them all.

2003 Iranian Bam earthquake

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December 26, 2003 ancient city Bam in Kerman Province, Iran, survived devastating earthquake(6.3 points), in which more than 35 thousand people died and more than 22 thousand were injured (out of 200 thousand population). About 90% of the historic city's clay buildings were destroyed.

The impact of the earthquake was so widespread because many of the houses were made of clay and did not meet local 1989 codes.

Earthquake in Indian Ocean in 2004

By U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Philip A. McDaniel, via Wikimedia Commons

An undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean, which occurred exactly one year after the Iranian one, on December 26, 2004, caused a tsunami, recognized as the deadliest natural disaster in the world. modern history. The magnitude of the earthquake was, according to various estimates, from 9.1 to 9.3. This is the third most powerful earthquake on record.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Indian Ocean, north of the island of Simeulue, located off the northwestern coast of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). The tsunami reached the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India, Thailand and other countries. The height of the waves exceeded 15 meters. The tsunami caused enormous destruction and a huge number of dead people, even to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6900 km from the epicenter.

According to various estimates, from 225 thousand to 300 thousand people died. The true death toll is unlikely to ever be known, as many people were swept out to sea.

2008 Sichuan earthquake

By 人神之间 (Own work (Original text: self-made 自己制作)) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Sichuan earthquake was a devastating earthquake that occurred on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan Province, China. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8 Mw according to the China Seismological Bureau. The epicenter was recorded 75 km from the capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu. The earthquake was felt in Beijing (1,500 km away) and Shanghai (1,700 km), where office buildings shook and evacuations began. It was also felt in neighboring countries: India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Russia.

The earthquake occurred on the seismically active Longmenshan fault, which runs along western edge Sichuan Basin, separating it from the Sino-Tibetan mountains.

Official sources say that as of August 4, 2008, about 70 thousand people were killed, about 18 thousand people were missing, and almost 300 thousand were injured.

2010 Haiti earthquake

By Logan Abassi / UNDP Global [CC BY 2.0 ], undefined

On January 12, 2010, a major earthquake occurred on the island of Haiti. The epicenter was located 22 km southwest of the capital of the Republic of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.

The earthquake in Haiti was the result of a movement earth's crust in the contact zone of the Caribbean and North American lithospheric plates. Last time such an earthquake destructive force occurred in Haiti in 1751.

According to official data, as of March 18, 2010, the death toll was more than 200 thousand people, more than 300 thousand people were injured, and 869 people were missing. Material damage is estimated at 5.6 billion euros.

2010 Chile earthquake

By Atilio Leandro (originally posted to Flickr as San Antonio/Chile) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ], undefined

The Chile earthquake was a powerful earthquake that occurred on February 27, 2010 off the coast of Chile, causing loss of life, destruction, and a tsunami. One of the most major earthquakes over the past half century. The epicenter of the magnitude 8.8 earthquake was 90 kilometers from the capital of the Bio-Bio region, Concepción, the country's second largest agglomeration after Santiago. Less than a thousand people became victims of the disaster.

The earthquake caused a tsunami, which hit 11 islands and the coast of Maule, but the number of victims caused by the tsunami was minimal: most of the residents of the coast managed to hide from the tsunami in the mountains.

2011 Japan earthquake

By U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ethan Johnson [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Earthquake east coast Honshu Island in Japan, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, occurred on March 11, 2011. Its magnitude was up to 9.1. This is the strongest earthquake in known history Japan.

The earthquake caused a powerful tsunami, which caused widespread destruction on the northern islands of the Japanese archipelago. Maximum height the waves were about 40 meters. The tsunami spread throughout the Pacific Ocean; in many coastal countries, including along the entire Pacific coast of North and South America from Alaska to Chile, warnings were issued and evacuations were carried out.

As a result of a natural disaster, an accident occurred at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Three reactors were in varying degrees damaged and became a source of strong radioactive emissions.

As of September 5, 2012, the official death toll as a result of the earthquake and tsunami was more than 15 thousand people, about 3 thousand are missing, and more than 6 thousand were injured.

2015 Nepal earthquake

By Krish Dulal (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The 2015 Nepal earthquakes were a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 4.2Mw to 7.8Mw that occurred on April 25 and 26, 2015. Tremors were felt in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. Tremors were also observed on Everest, triggering a descent snow avalanches, resulting in the death of more than 80 climbers.

The Nepalese government has confirmed the death of more than 4 thousand people, about 7 thousand people were injured. According to media reports, a total of about 100 people died in Nepal's neighboring countries (India, Bangladesh, China).

According to preliminary data, thousands of houses were completely destroyed in the country, the damage is estimated at $5 billion.

Every year, more and more people on the planet turn their attention to natural disasters. various kinds. According to research recent years, The Earth has entered an active phase of tectonic activity - it is well known that throughout its existence, the land topography and the outlines of the continents as a whole have repeatedly undergone various changes. If we take into account the contents of Plato's manuscripts, such semi-mythical great civilizations as Atlantis and Hyperborea disappeared from the face of the earth as a result of the tectonic activity of our planet. For this reason, many of our contemporaries are seriously thinking about the direction in which human civilization should develop so that we do not suffer the same sad fate. Perhaps we should finally understand that the Earth is a kind of gigantic living organism, any interference in the work of which can end very sadly for our world. The bowels of the planet should be used more carefully and economically by people for their own purposes. In this article we will look at the most destructive earthquakes in human history.

1. In the mid-16th century, in the city of Shenxi (China), the most destructive earthquake to date occurred, killing more than 800 thousand people!

2. In 1923, on the first day of autumn, the Japanese region of Southern Kanto felt the full force and power of tremors, which, according to some estimates, was about 12 points. In this region there are megacities such as Yokohama and Tokyo. More than 150 thousand people became victims of the disaster.

3. August 15, 1950 year, the most powerful earthquake was recorded in the Indian city of Assami (India), which claimed the lives of “only” 1000 people - the fact is that it was impossible to measure its strength on the Richter scale due to the excessive scale of the instrument’s needles. A short time later, seismologists officially attributed the element to 9 points on the Richter scale. However, it was so powerful that it even sowed a certain panic among scientists - some of them initially believed that the epicenter of the earth's crust fluctuation was located in Japan, while others believed that it was in the United States.

Concerning Indian state Assam, here the situation was also very ambiguous - for a week in a row, powerful tremors shook the surface of the earth, every now and then forming faults and failures, swallowing entire villages along with their inhabitants without a trace. All this was accompanied by constant emissions of fountains of hot steam and superheated liquid into the sky. As a result of the damage received, many dams could not contain the pressure of the water reserves stored in them - many cities and villages were simply flooded. Fleeing from certain death, residents climbed to the tops of trees, because not everyone knew the main ones. It should be noted that this year it was many times greater than the scale of destruction that was the result of the second most powerful earthquake that took place in these parts in 1897. The victims of the earlier disaster were 1,542 people.

4. 05/22/1960– on the outskirts of the Chilean city of Valdivia in the afternoon, the most powerful officially recorded earthquake occurred. The force of the tremors of the Great Chilean Earthquake - this is exactly what this name received natural disaster- was approximately 9.3-9.5 points.

5. March 27, 1964 - in the American part of the Alaska Peninsula, closer to six o’clock local time, something happened that the locals could not even imagine. The force of the tremors was 9.2 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the disaster was at a depth of 20 kilometers in the northern part of the Gulf of Alaska. According to many scientists, it was this that caused the shift in the axis of rotation of our planet - as a result, its speed increased by 3 microseconds. The Great Chilean and Alaskan disasters are officially considered the most destructive and catastrophic in the history of mankind.

6. The earthquake that took place on July 28, 1976 late at night in the northeastern regions of China is considered the most destructive and terrible in terms of human casualties. Almost instantly, 650 thousand people became its victims - more than 780 thousand were injured and of varying degrees of severity. The strength of the shocks ranged from 7.9 to 8.2 points. The destruction was colossal. The epicenter of the disaster was located directly in Tangshan, a city with a population of millions. After several months, on the site of the once flourishing, never-silent city, there remained a huge space of ruins. with total area 20 square kilometers.
According to eyewitnesses, shortly before the first wobble, the skies parted for many kilometers and shone with a bright light. At the end of the first blows, the plants and trees visually looked as if they had felt the effects of a steam roller. Some bushes were even burnt on some sides.

7. 7.12.1988— powerful tremors occurred on the territory of Armenia, the victims of which, according to the most conservative estimates, were 45 thousand people. Overnight, the city of Spitak, located near the epicenter, turned into a vast pile of ruins. Neighboring settlements– Kirovakan and Leninakan were half destroyed. According to some calculations, the force of the shocks was almost 10 points on the Richter scale!

8. December 26, 2004- in the northwestern region of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean, like a bolt from the blue, earthquakes with a force of 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale arose. This disaster and the accompanying giant tsunami claimed the lives of more than 300 thousand people.

9. May 12-13, 2008– in the Chinese province of Sichuan, an earthquake with a power of 7.9 occurred, killing more than 70 thousand people.

10. March 11, 2011 year in Japan one of the most powerful earthquakes recent years - his strength was estimated at 9 points on the Richter scale. The devastating consequences and the accompanying gigantic tsunami became the direct cause of a serious environmental disaster: The cooling systems of a nuclear power plant were damaged - the world stood on the threshold radioactive contamination environment, which, to the deepest, could not be avoided. Albeit on a smaller scale, radiation leakage still occurred.

Major earthquakes have occurred throughout human history, with the earliest recorded dating back almost 2,000 BC. But it is only in the last century that our technological capabilities have reached the point where the impact of these disasters can be fully measured. Our ability to study earthquakes has made it possible to avoid catastrophic casualties, such as in the case of a tsunami, when people have the opportunity to evacuate a potentially dangerous area. But unfortunately, the warning system does not always work. There are several examples of earthquakes where the greatest damage was caused by the subsequent tsunami, and not by the earthquake itself. People have improved building standards and improved early warning systems, but they have never been able to completely protect themselves from disasters. There are many in various ways estimate the strength of the earthquake. Some people rely on the Richter scale, others on the number of deaths and injuries, or even the monetary value of the damaged property. This list of the 12 strongest earthquakes combines all of these methods in one.

Lisbon earthquake

The Great Lisbon Earthquake struck the Portuguese capital on November 1, 1755, causing enormous destruction. They were made worse by the fact that it was All Saints' Day and thousands of people attended mass in the church. Churches, like most other buildings, could not withstand the elements and collapsed, killing people. Subsequently, a tsunami 6 meters high hit. An estimated 80,000 died due to fires caused by the destruction. Many famous writers and philosophers dealt with the Lisbon earthquake in their works. For example, Emmanuel Kant, who tried to find scientific explanation what happened.

California earthquake

A major earthquake struck California in April 1906. Etched into history as the San Francisco earthquake, it caused damage to a much wider area. Downtown San Francisco was destroyed by a huge fire that followed. Initial figures mentioned 700 to 800 dead, although researchers claim the actual death toll was more than 3,000. More than half of San Francisco's population lost their homes as 28,000 buildings were destroyed by the earthquake and fires.

Messina earthquake

One of Europe's largest earthquakes struck Sicily and southern Italy in the early hours of December 28th, 1908, killing an estimated 120,000 people. The main epicenter of the damage was Messina, which was virtually destroyed by the disaster. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake was accompanied by a tsunami that hit the coast. A recent study suggested that the size of the waves was so huge because of an underwater landslide. Much of the damage was due to the poor quality of buildings in Messina and other parts of Sicily.

Haiyuan earthquake

One of the deadliest earthquakes on the list occurred in December 1920, with its epicenter in Haiyuan Chingya. At least 230,000 people died. Measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, the earthquake destroyed almost every home in the region, causing extensive damage. major cities like Lanzhou, Taiyuan and Xi'an. Incredibly, waves from the earthquake were visible even off the coast of Norway. According to a recent study, Haiyuan was the strongest earthquake to hit China during the 20th century. Researchers have also questioned the official death toll, suggesting there may have been more than 270,000. This number represents 59 percent of the population in the Haiyuan area. The Haiyuan earthquake is considered one of the most destructive natural disasters in history.

Chilean earthquake

A total of 1,655 were killed and 3,000 were injured after a magnitude 9.5 earthquake struck Chile in 1960. Seismologists called it the strongest earthquake ever to occur. 2 million people were left homeless and economic losses amounted to $500 million. The force of the earthquake caused a tsunami, with casualties in places as far away as Japan, Hawaii and the Philippines. In some parts of Chile, waves have moved building ruins 3 kilometers inland. The massive Chilean earthquake of 1960 caused a giant rupture in the ground extending over 1,000 kilometers.

Earthquake in Alaska

27th March 1964 strong earthquake at 9.2 struck the Prince William Sound region of Alaska. As the second largest earthquake on record, it caused a relatively low number of deaths(192 dead). However, significant property damage occurred in Anchorage, and tremors were felt in all 47 US states. Due to significant improvements in research technology, the Alaska earthquake has provided scientists with valuable seismic data, allowing them to better understand the nature of such events.

Kobe earthquake

In 1995, Japan was hit by one of its most powerful earthquakes when a magnitude 7.2 shock struck the Kobe region in south-central Japan. Although it was not the worst ever seen, the devastating impact was felt by a significant portion of the population—an estimated 10 million people living in densely populated areas. populated area. A total of 5,000 were killed and 26,000 were injured. The US Geological Survey estimated damage at $200 billion, with infrastructure and buildings destroyed.

Sumatra and Andaman earthquake

The tsunami that struck across the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 killed at least 230,000 people. It was caused by a large undersea earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. His strength was measured at 9.1 on the Richter scale. The previous earthquake in Sumatra occurred in 2002. It is believed that this was a preliminary seismic shock, and several aftershocks occurred during 2005. The main reason The huge number of casualties was the lack of any early warning system in the Indian Ocean capable of detecting an approaching Tsunami. A giant wave reached the shores of some countries, where tens of thousands of people died, for at least several hours.

Kashmir earthquake

Jointly administered by Pakistan and India, Kashmir was hit by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in October 2005, killing at least 80,000 people and leaving 4 million homeless. Rescue efforts were hampered by conflicts between the two countries fighting over the territory. The situation was aggravated by the rapid onset of winter and the destruction of many roads in the region. Eyewitnesses spoke of entire areas of cities literally sliding off cliffs due to the destructive elements.

Disaster in Haiti

Port-au-Prince was hit by an earthquake on January 12, 2010, leaving half the capital's population without their homes. The death toll is still disputed and ranges from 160,000 to 230,000. A recent report highlighted that as of the fifth anniversary of the disaster, 80,000 people continue to live on the streets. The impact of the earthquake has caused severe poverty in Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Many buildings in the capital were not built in accordance with seismic requirements, and the people of the completely destroyed country had no means of subsistence other than the international aid provided.

Tohoku earthquake in Japan

The biggest nuclear disaster after Chernobyl was caused by a magnitude 9 earthquake off the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. Scientists estimate that during the 6-minute earthquake of colossal force, 108 kilometers of the seabed rose to a height of 6 to 8 meters. This caused a large tsunami that damaged the coast of Japan's northern islands. Nuclear power plant in Fukushima was badly damaged and attempts to salvage the situation are still ongoing. The official death toll is 15,889 dead, although 2,500 people are still missing. Many areas have become uninhabitable due to nuclear radiation.

Christchurch

The worst natural disaster in New Zealand's history claimed 185 lives on February 22, 2011, when Christchurch was hit by a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake. More than half of the deaths were caused by the collapse of the CTV building, which was built in violation of seismic codes. Thousands of other houses were also destroyed, including the city's cathedral. The government introduced state of emergency in the country so that rescue operations proceed as quickly as possible. More than 2,000 people were injured, and reconstruction costs exceeded $40 billion. But in December 2013, the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce said that three years after the tragedy, only 10 per cent of the city had been rebuilt.

Everyone good day, I am very glad to welcome those who are interested not only in games or shopping, but also in world affairs. It is about the problems associated with disasters that I wanted to talk today.

World disasters, one way or another, affect the life of every person on the planet. And it doesn’t matter in what part of the earth there was an earthquake, flood or volcanic eruption. Some people always suffer, while others sympathize and try to help.

Unfortunately, scientists cannot fully understand how to predict a terrible event. Take, for example, an earthquake. This is extremely dangerous phenomenon nature, which cannot be predicted. Scientists' calculations made it possible to learn about future tremors earth's surface only a few hours before they start.

But even here there may be danger in the calculations, because the earthquake can be much stronger than predicted. The most effective predictor of impending disaster is animals. Many people say that animals are closer to the earth and are more connected to it. So love your pets and they can save your life.

The danger of earth tremors awaits those residents whose houses are located in mountainous areas. After all, mountains are peculiar scars in places of fracture of titanic plates. Fortunately, most earthquakes occur at the bottom of the oceans, but this also poses a danger for coastal living areas. It is almost impossible to escape from a strong tsunami.

The most powerful earthquake in human history: tragedy in Chile

The most powerful earthquake in human history occurred just off the coast Pacific Ocean and practically destroyed Chile in 1960. By different sources The force of the tremors on the ocean floor at the epicenter was about 10 points. It is worth looking at the consequences of the wave that destroyed large coastal cities almost to the ground.

The tsunami that hit Chile destroyed not only residential areas, but also industry, everything had to be rebuilt. At that time it cost more than 400 billion dollars.

The strongest earthquakes in the world on the Richter scale: top 5

It is impossible to predict where the next earthquake will occur. How many people will suffer? What is known is that over the last hundred years the number of the worst disasters in human history has increased.

List of known largest earthquakes:

• The Kemin earthquake is considered one of the largest inland earthquakes. It took place in Kazakhstan in 1911, then, with an amplitude of 9 points, it almost completely collapsed Almaty city.
• The next most destructive earthquake, after the Chilean one, happened in Alaska in 1964. Due to the low population density in this part of the earth, there were only 9 people affected by the 9.5 magnitude tremors, plus 190 drowned. But due to huge wave The coasts of Canada, Japan and California were seriously damaged.
• In 1952, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Kamchatka. And the rising giant wave 17 meters high swept away Severo-Kurilsk Almost completely, a third of the residents of the city and nearby settlements died as a result.
• Indian tsunami, which drowned most of the coastal cities of Indonesia, Thailand, southern India and Sri Lanka in 2004. Earth tremors began near the island Sumatra. Then the disaster took the lives of more than 300 thousand people.
• But the most catastrophic earthquake is considered Japanese. Although it took place quite recently in 2011, it brought not only destruction to its country. The earthquake caused a tsunami that damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The echoes of that disaster can still be heard. A radioactive cloud hung over the ocean for a long time, and the whole world watched its movement with bated breath.

Is it possible to prepare for underground unrest? Can you predict what consequences it will bring? Is there salvation and where to look for it?

Many questions arise in a person when he thinks about this. The problem of modern man is not that he is not prepared for disasters, he just does not think about them. After watching TV and sympathizing with the victims, we forget about everything. We don’t think that our country is also located at the intersection of titanic plate faults, and in Russia, like nowhere else, the probability of earthquakes is high.

A little theory about earthquakes

Due to modern scientific achievements Scientists have suggested that tremors occur almost every day in the world. We do not feel most of them, due to great depth the epicenter or its small strength.

A person will feel tremors or a wave only starting from 3 points; before this, the force is so weak that only instruments can detect the impulse. Some people believe that there are many more earthquakes during the full moon.

The causes of underground disturbances can be not only natural, but also caused by humans. Regular weapons testing or mining disrupts the landscape and structure of the earth's surface. The most dangerous human impact is the adjustment of mountainous terrain. As you know, this is where earthquakes most often occur.

It’s just difficult for people to prove that they are wrong and that they need to change their way of life so that after us our descendants can live peacefully for thousands of years.

World wars and human cruelty towards brothers lead to the fact that cataclysms began to occur more and more often. After all, the earth is also a living and intelligent organism...

Imagine yourself in her place, not only are they constantly pumping out oil, extracting metals, but they are also fighting, destroying not only people, but also environment, poisoning with lead and burning thousands of kilometers of land.

As a result, the soil dies, and with it all the plants. There is so much beauty in the world, will a person never grow up? A rational being cannot treat nature with such disrespect.

How to behave during an earthquake

Each of us learned the rules of behavior during earthly discussions back in school. Even regular drills mean preparation both physically and psychologically.

How might he react? a common person when does the earthquake start? The first is fear, and it’s good if you pull yourself together quickly enough, get your bearings and go to a safe distance from the surrounding buildings, which may collapse if the shocks are strong.

But when panic sets in, it most often occurs in office buildings, where workers are under stress every day. And then a disaster happened, running around began instead of constructive evacuation.

At the first tremors, you should hide under the table, then if a wall or ceiling collapses, you will suffer less, and it will be easier for rescuers to find you. If you decide to leave the building, you should do so at the first tremors before they become stronger or surrounding objects begin to fall.

Try to stay along walls without windows. When shaking, the glass is the first to crack and you can get seriously injured. As soon as you get out of the building, move to a safe distance. You should not drive a car; due to the electronics, the car may simply become blocked, and so will you.

If you live in an earthquake-prone area, you should prepare a bag or backpack with the essentials for the first time. You can also put documents and some money there. This is convenient in a critical situation, you can immediately grab it and run out of the dangerous room.

12 points on the Richter scale: adventure project “On the Edge” and learn a lot of new things! See you soon!

Text - agent Q.

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Nature works in mysterious ways. By providing best conditions for life, she also provides the world with various disasters, probably in order to maintain the balance between good and evil. She gives oxygen to breathe and shows her strength through thunderstorms. She shows her kindness, and at the same time, how evil she can be. One way to show your anger is through an earthquake.

Being one of the worst forms of natural disasters, it certainly causes huge losses.
Earthquakes are typically caused by the shifting of tectonic plates located beneath the Earth's surface. When tectonic plates collide, they cause the Earth's surface to vibrate, resulting in earthquakes.

The location where an earthquake occurs is called the epicenter, and the device for measuring the frequency of the earthquake is called a seismometer. The basic principle of operation of a seismometer is to measure the frequency of vibrations caused by certain place. He prints a zigzag pattern on a piece of paper and uses mathematical calculations to calculate the value on the Richter scale.

The earth experiences many earthquakes throughout the year. Most of them are quite weak and cannot be felt. Typically their magnitude is less than 4, but some earthquakes are quite strong and can cause enormous destruction. The magnitude of such earthquakes is above 8 points.

The earthquake with the highest recorded magnitude was 9.5. Together with strong vibrations on the Earth's surface, which leads to buildings falling and causing huge losses, earthquakes are the main cause of tsunamis and other natural disasters.

Generally, earthquakes occurring beneath the surface of the sea or ocean are the most common cause of tsunamis. The earthquakes that are considered the most powerful are described below.

Magnitude: 8.6
Date: August 15, 1950

Although it is known as the Assam Earthquake, the epicenter was in Tibet. About 800 people became victims of the disaster. The earthquake not only affected Assam and the Tibet region, but also caused damage on the outskirts of China.

According to records, 800 people are known to have died, but in reality there were many more. Huge number people suffered severe injuries, which is why this earthquake made it into the top ten worst.

Magnitude: 8.6
Date: March 28, 2005

One of the most devastating effects of an earthquake is that it occurs close to water bodies. It causes water to form tides and waves, which leads to another natural disaster called a tsunami.

This is exactly what happened in the Sumatra Islands when the earthquake struck in the popular tourist month of March. Since this is an island state, the earthquake led to the formation of a tsunami and spread across areas all the way to Sri Lanka.

The number of victims as a result of the earthquake was 1,500 people, more than 400 were injured, including victims of the tsunami.

Magnitude: 8.7
Date: April 2, 1965

This earthquake occurred entirely underwater, causing tsunami waves that caused losses. What happened in one of the most beautiful places Earth, the earthquake caused a huge tsunami, causing damage estimated at thousands of dollars. There were no reports of casualties or injuries from the islands, as there is no population in those places.

Magnitude: 8.8
Date: January 31, 1906

Much time has passed since this disaster. The earthquake occurred underwater, resulting in the infamous tsunami. Waves hit the coast of Colombia, the United States, and even the islands of Japan, resulting in a death toll of about 1,500 people.

After this tsunami, various coastal areas began to undertake preventive measures to prevent losses caused by the tsunami.

Magnitude: 8.8
Date: February 27, 2010

One of the worst days in the history of Chile's earthquake-prone zone. More than 500 people died as a result of this earthquake. The tsunami caused by this earthquake added to the effect, displacing hundreds of thousands of people, of whom 50 people are still missing.

The number of wounded people was 12,000. Thus, this earthquake became one of the most powerful in the history of mankind.

Magnitude: 9.0
Date: November 4, 1952

Imagine a wave 9 meters high approaching you with a very high speed! What would you do? Wouldn't you feel helpless! A similar situation occurred in Kamchatka in Russia in 1952, when a huge tsunami caused by an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale left people feeling helpless.

They left their belongings and tried to find a safe place. Fortunately, no one died as a result of the earthquake.

Magnitude: 9.0
Date: March 11, 2011

Who can forget the earthquake that caused the tsunami, as well as the destruction of thermal power units in Japan, which exposed the area to harmful radiation from uranium and thorium? Having occurred just a few years ago, this earthquake is considered one of the most powerful.

Japan is small in size, but the country is rich in knowledge and technology. This earthquake challenged thousands of minds in Japan. Despite suffering from such huge losses, the government and people came together to reduce the impact of such an earthquake and tsunami, and within a short time, they again secured the title of a superpower!

Magnitude: 9.1
Date: December 26, 2004

Having been mentioned twice on the list, it is clear that Sumatra is among the most earthquake-prone areas. Just three months before the earthquake measured 8.6 on the Richter scale, this earthquake took away more lives and caused damage to property than what happened later.

It caused a devastating tsunami, the victims of which were about 300 thousand people in the countries South Africa and South Asia. It is known that after several days of the earthquake, a volcano erupted in Andaman.

Magnitude: 9.2
Date: March 28, 1964

The name speaks for itself! One of the largest earthquakes in history due to its strength. 150 people were killed, and damage was estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

The shaking was only felt in some parts New America, but the resulting tsunami traveled to different places, causing enormous damage.

Magnitude: 9.5
Date: May 22, 1960

The lands of Chile can be renamed the Land of Volcanoes, since this is where the maximum amount earthquakes. This is the second time the country's name has been mentioned on this list. This earthquake killed 1,700 people, and the tsunami it caused killed 2 million people.

More than 3,000 people were seriously injured. The total amount of damage is $600 million, which, of course, is not small. The country is trying to take many steps to prevent any losses caused by earthquakes and to some extent these efforts are bearing fruit!

Video about the most powerful earthquakes in the world from ADZI